JSON is also not very opaque. What's opaque is iOS with its locked down storage per app as you mentioned. Some OS builders have been trying to push this model

JSON is also not very opaque. What's opaque is iOS with its locked down storage per app as you mentioned. Some OS builders have been trying to push this model on the desktop but have not been very successful due to legacy. It only seems to be done with mobile apps running on the desktop (Windows with Android apps and macOS with iOS) I also lament this model, I think we should always have full access to our devices. But there's a strong commercial push for lock-in and subscription models.